Top Chef
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Established in 1922, El Charro is a historic restaurant that still focuses on traditional preparations of Mexican foods.
Their staple, carne seca, is the featured ingredient in the Quickfire today.
Hanging high above their heads is a cage filled with about 300 pounds of meat.
Evelyn is the only chef who has worked with this ingredient before.
Im trying to makenotwhat I was raised on.
Growing up in Michigan, Sarah is no stranger to dried meat.
Buddha and Damarr both struggle a little with this challenge.
While Buddhas components are pleasing to Carlotta, he misses the mark with his tostada.
Damarr, on the other hand, seems extremely nervous.
Hes in his head, unable to let go and allow his creativity to lead his cooking.
Damarrs grilled avocado topped with his carne seca vinaigrette dish lacks any interesting texture.
She takes them to the gorgeous Mission Garden, a living agricultural museum in Tucson.
The chefs will create two dishes for the challenge, each featuring a key Tucson ingredient.
This punch in of challenge is the pinnacle of aTop Cheffinale.
Its a way to show creativity and the ability and desire to learn.
Buddha and Sarah present first, and the table is almost completely silent.
Content and eatin good, the judges are blown away by both of these dishes.
Jesus Garcia, a conservationist who works with Mission Garden, raves about Sarahs use of the native grapes.
Both chefs have honored the ingredients well and put out amazing food.
Evelyn is a master at elevating her cuisine to the next level and is consistently awarded for it.
The chefs have a lot to balance with two dishes and unfortunately for Damarr, its just too much.
He rushes through his first meal, putting out a plate that isnt exactly what he hoped for.
Damarr is no different.
These are three unique chefs and they each represent such different cuisines.
And I think were just lucky to watch it happen.
Hes always been the patriarch ofTop Chef, and this season he just feels particularly fatherly.
Oh, Damarr crushed it, he says, just looking at the plate.
